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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bay · mine · club · band · stem · pit · wind · face

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. stem — to come from
  4. club — a group
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. club — for dancing
  9. club — for golf
  10. mine — for digging
  11. wind — moving air
  12. wind — moving air
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. face — to point toward
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. face — part of the head
  20. pit — a hole
  21. band — a music group
  22. face — to confront
  23. pit — in a race
  24. band — a ring

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com